Agria 40. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2004)

Csiffáry Gergely: Varkocs Tamás egri várkapitány emlékezete

Gergely Csiffáry Tamás Várkocs, Castellan of Eger Tamás Varkocs was a descendent of a family of Polish origin. His first known ancestor, Kristóf Varkocs, arrived in Hungary before 1485. Of the date of birth and identity of the parents of Tamás Varkocs, later castellan of Eger, we know nothing. Although it is possible, that he himself was born between 1515 and 1520, and that his father was perhaps Kristóf Varkocs, it is more likely that Tamás was the son of Kristófs son Gáspár. From his childhood onwards Varkocs was brought up in the court of Péter Perényi. As a soldier, he was present as Péter Perényi's servitor at the surrender of Buda Castle on August 29th 1541, before his forces occupied Eger Castle together with Perényi's retreating" soldiers. It was at this point that Varkocs was appointed castellan. Following the imprisonment of his lord in the autumn of 1542, Varkocs played an important role in the remodelling and updating of Eger Castle, an initiative which turned the site into a border fortress. When seizing the episcopal palace Perényi had gone about claiming the right to oversee the diocese of Eger's incomes. It was from these incomes that Varkocs was able to finance both the costs of the construction work at the castle between 1542 and 1548 and the payment of a permanent garrison in Eger. The castellan's activities were to contribute greatly to the successful defence of the castle against the Turks under István Dobó

's leadership in 1552. Following the handing over of Eger Castle to the royal authorities on 15th August 1548 Varkocs left Eger. In 1549 he was named castellan of Várad (Oradea, Romania) by György Fráter. As castellan he took part in the wars of 1550 and 1551 first against the Turks and then Queen Isabella and her supporters. Following the murder of György Fráter on 17th December 1551 Ferdinand I charged Varkocs with the task of handling the incomes from the diocese of Várad, at the same time becoming chief governor (fő ispán) of Bihar County. In the spring of 1555 Tamás Varkocs changed allegiance to Isabella and John Sigismond, which led Ferdinand to relieve him of his post as castellan of Várad. Indeed, his disloyalty was to lose him his estates as well. In the autumn of 1556, following Queen Isabella and her son's entry into Transylvania, Varkocs gave his support, and under his leadership a nine-month siege ended in the seizure of both Várad Castle and the town. In gratitude for his activities Isabella reinstated him to his former post, and as castellan he proved to be one of the most important figures in the Queen's immediate circle. Varkocs's 259